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When I began leading tours last spring, I didn’t know what I was going to say. At the end of every tour, we share the reason we chose �°IJʿ���, or our “Oxy Y,” as it is playfully named. I never had a dream school, just a handful that I wanted to get into, more or less. As a Fall 2021 applicant, I knew my college application and admission experience was a bit different from the traditional; I had to apply to schools I’d never seen. The spring and summer prior to my senior year, when students often tour and explore schools, were taken over by a stay-at-home order (Covid, not my parents). 

I was really unsure where I wanted to go or what school was right for me. Both of my parents work at UC Irvine and I practically grew up on campus, so I had a preliminary understanding of what a larger school looked and felt like. Lecture halls with four hundred students was an experience I wasn’t too enthusiastic about. On the other hand, my high school was bigger than a lot of liberal arts colleges and I knew I didn’t want to relive high school for another four years. I ended up applying to many places; a handful of California State University campuses, University of California schools (UCs), as well as small liberal arts schools on the East Coast, for a total of 27 schools. It was a lot.

I got into different kinds of schools and had good options to choose from. During the spring break of my senior year is when I did most of my touring, especially at the schools I had been admitted to out of state. Campus visits, meetings with coaches, discussions with professors that my dad knew. I was lucky to have my family’s support.

My dad told me at the beginning of April that I could take Friday off from school to go to an admitted student event at �°IJʿ���, if I was interested. He encouraged me to explore all of my options, knowing that I was leaning toward a school on the East Coast. My parents came with me to the event, where I got to be a student for the day. I sat in on a class (I chose one about viruses and communities), ate at the dining hall, and went on a “no parents” tour (which was a highlight). This school seemed like a place where I could fully explore every subject that interested me, while also being part of an active and engaged community. The campus felt alive. 

I was indecisive about the whole college process, from where I wanted to apply, what I wanted to major in, to where I wanted to go. Every school had its draws, but I officially committed to Oxy on April 28, three days before the May 1 deadline. 

Throughout the summer, I became more excited and certain about my decision. I started receiving emails and letters about what it was like to be a student at Oxy, what to get for my room, and who my new roommate was. Everything was falling into place. 

Now halfway through my time here, I can better define why �°IJʿ��� is the right fit for me. I can be involved with everything and anything, explore new passions and interests–including academic areas–and learn to be a thinker and a person in the world. 

I’ve found that �°IJʿ���, right in Los Angeles, is big enough to be engaging, providing new corners, ideas, and places to find, but also small enough so that staff, faculty, and other students share a common purpose. My peers and professors want to know about me and my ideas, and are open to sharing their own.

When I was struggling to decide where to go, one of my high school teachers told me, “it is just a choice you make, you just have to make a decision and live it out.” Oxy has given me an environment where I not only “live out” college, but thrive, grow, and evolve as a smarter person ready to engage with an excitingly diverse and changing world.